Italy to marshal EU, private funds to save Pompeii

Apr 12, 2011, 16:57 GMT

Pompeii, Italy - Italy's new culture minister on Tuesday pledged to boost efforts to preserve the 2,000 year-old Roman ruins of Pompeii by attracting private sponsors and tapping into European Union funds.

Giancarlo Galan was appointed last month following the resignation of predecessor Sandro Bondi, who had come under fire for alleged negligence in safeguarding Italy's archaeological treasures, including Pompeii.

Late last year several walls and buildings collapsed at the site. One of these was a frescoed house where gladiators once prepared for combat, the Schola Armaturarum.

Galan chose Pompeii as the venue of his first public speech as minister, describing it as a 'symbol of Italy, both good and bad.'

'Good, because everyone envies us for having Pompeii, bad, because we need to strive much more to enhance its value,' Galan said.

The minister unveiled plans to employ sophisticated 3-D laser technology to monitor the state of the ruins, which he said were in need of constant maintenance work.

The government intends to allocate for work on the site some 100 million euros (144.5 million dollars). This money has been designated by the EU for the development of Italy's southern regions, including the Campania region where Pompeii is situated, Galan said. Italy would also apply for an additional 100 million euros from the EU, he said.

Private sector companies would also be involved, but the details still needed to be worked out, the minister said.

Once a prosperous Roman city, Pompeii was destroyed in 79 AD by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius that killed thousands of people and buried the city in six metres of volcanic ash.

Extensive excavation work, which first began in the 18th century, has given visitors, including thousands of tourists each year, an extraordinary and detailed glimpse of daily life in ancient times.

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